My husband took our grandson Maverick fishing when we were on vacation. They didn’t catch a thing (Ok maybe one confused crab) but it was still a highlight of the trip that Maverick talks about even now. I think that is when I realized that fishing and catching are two completely different things. That’s why we say we’re going fishing, not catching. This thought has given me a different take on Matthew 4:19 – “(Jesus) said to them, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” When Jesus spoke those words to Peter and Andrew, they already knew the patience and persistence that came with being fishermen. Now He was asking them to redirect those same skills towards people to spread the good news of the Gospel. Fishing isn’t instant gratification. You have to cast again and again until a fish gets curious. It’s the same with people. When we share the Gospel, not everyone will respond the first time. Some will be skeptical, hesitant, or resistant. Our job is to stay patient, keep showing love, and continue to cast the net. The beautiful thing about fishing is that there are always more fish in the water. Lakes, rivers, and oceans offer plenty of opportunities for a good ‘catch’. The same is true when it comes to people. There are always more hearts waiting to hear the good news of Jesus. As Jesus said in Matthew 9:37, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” That is still the case today. Therefore, let us make every effort to cast our nets wide, trusting God to give us patience when our efforts feel fruitless, courage to keep sharing His Word and love that reflects His heart to a waiting harvest.
Rescued from darkness ~ Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
NEW SERIES: Holy Habits – What Disciples Do
As we turn the corner to fall, we are going to take September and October to see what the Bible says about being disciples of Jesus. When we look at the idea of following Jesus, it is clear that it takes practice, but it also demands specific choices and actions. We will spend some time on habits that must be a part of our lives if we are serious about Jesus being our Lord and Savior.
SHARE: A Party For Sinners (Luke 5:27-32)
As we begin our series, we look at one thing that is an inescapable outcome of receiving Jesus. Those who are saved want others to have it too. We don’t lose anything by giving away the Good News. In fact, we are explicitly following Jesus who came to “call sinners to repentance.” It is normal to think about Christians being “good people” and non-Christians as people who are sinful. But Jesus makes it clear that anyone who truly belongs to Him is a person who desperately needed help. There is perhaps no more obvious example of this than Levi who became a disciple of Jesus after being a tax collector. We will see the way this surprised and offended the people of Jesus’ time. And we will be reminded that if we are disciples of Jesus, we will share Him with as many as we can!
FAMILY NIGHTS: Coming September!
We’re so excited to announce that starting Wednesday, September 3rd we’ll be having fall Family Nights here at Hope! Join us at 6:15 for FREE dinner for the whole family before we head into our classes at 7:00. We know weekdays can be hectic with school and work – so consider your Wednesdays taken care of! Come feed your stomach and your soul! We’ll have HopeKids! Programs for all our our little ones, starting from nursery up through 5th grade. Hope Youth will also have a class for our teens. Even if you can’t make it to dinner, join us for programs at 7:00.
BIBLE STUDY: New September Series!
Forgiveness: Finding Freedom From Hurt
As Christians, we are forgiven. It is a fundamental truth that defines our relationship with God. But we also are called to forgive. When faced with the unforgivable, this can feel like a duty that we aren’t sure we want to fulfill. In fact, it can feel like it minimizes the damage done to us and makes us vulnerable again to the same kind of pain we faced before. But what if it isn’t really any of those things? What if forgiveness is freedom? We’re going to take four weeks and look at some of the main passages on forgiveness to see what we can learn. If you are struggling with knowing how to let go of wounds and the fear it brings (or if you just want to learn more about this vital truth), join us as we learn together what it means to forgive and how we can do it.
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER:
Anyone can join us Sunday mornings at 8:30 in Pastor Mark’s office to pray for that morning’s services. Contact Bob Baumiester for more information (rbaumiester@gmail.com).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ocean City Weekend is one of Hope Youth’s biggest and most time honored traditions. Every year our students 6th-12th grade bond together for a weekend over fun games, powerful lessons, and good food! While we have some excellent chefs ready and willing to serve, we need your help in supplying the ingredients to make it happen! If you are interested in supporting God’s mission on the Ocean City Weekend retreat then consider donating one of the available items! If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Dan. Thanks again for partnering with us!
CLEANING TEAM:
Pastor Mark is still building a cleaning team here at Hope, so it’s not too late to join! This team would handle doing light spot cleaning at church, simple maintenance like lightbulbs and vacuums, cleaning the kitchen, Christmas decorating, and would help us put together semi-annual cleaning days. Volunteers would serve on rotation, and can serve in one or multiple areas. If you are interested in joining, please sign-up at the Connection Center. There will be a meeting on Sunday, September 14th following the second service to plan and discuss.
DIRECTORY DAY:
Now is your chance to be a part of one of the most valuable resources for community here at Hope! We have an online directory that is private to Hopers only. Register for the directory, and we’ll send you instructions to download the app and customize your profile. You’ll be able to see other Hoper’s contact info and even reach out to them directly! Swing by the kitchen after either service on September 21st and we’ll take your photo and get you set-up! You can make the process even easier by PRE-REGISTERING HERE! If you have any questions, contact Emily DiLorenzo.
SMALL GROUP INFO & TRAINING MEETING:
Community is an essential part of our spiritual walk with Christ. Small Groups are an important way we fight the battle isolation and build an everlasting community here at Hope! In order to have Small Groups we need Small Group Coordinators, (formerly known as Leaders/Hosts), who are open to coordinating a group for the next season (Fall through Spring). Coordinators must be believers in Christ, attending Hope on a regular basis, and be willing to be the point of contact for a single Group. If you meet the above criteria and you want to plug-in to the church in a simple, but impactful way, the Small Group Leadership Team will be holding a Coordinator Information & Training Session lunch on Sunday, September 21st following the second service. The goal of this session will be to answer questions about Small Group Coordination and to equip those qualified to kick off their first group. Lunch is free, we just need you to register so we know you are coming! Sign-up here no later than September 14th.
NEW TO HOPE CLASS:
If you’re new to Hope within the past year, you’ll want to join us for a special evening just for you on September 24th at 7:00! Come learn how we do things (and why we do them!) here at Hope. This class will be taught by one of our Elders. Sign-up at the Connection Center to attend!
YOUNG ADULTS
FALL KICKOFF: Coming Soon!
Here at Hope, our Young Adult group provides a place to connect, serve, apply God’s Word to real life, and live in relationships with others. Hope’s Young Adults is a great way to grow your faith and find help to navigate the big decisions on the horizon. Open to anyone post high school through their 20s. We meet the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00P in the GoZone starting September!
WHY WAIT: September 2nd
Waiting is the worst! As we get older, time feels like it starts moving faster. It took forever to get through a year of school back in high school, but now the seasons start flying by. Waiting feels like wasting the precious time we have. And no one really likes to wait. But patience is a big theme in Scripture. Is waiting something we are supposed to like? How do we know the difference between when we are supposed to press forward in action and when we need to hold back and wait? Let’s talk about what the Bible says about patience and how we can learn to navigate the inevitable waiting that comes with life. Plus we’ll enjoy fellowship & ice cream sundaes!
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For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Mark & Dana Ott.
HOPE YOUTH
HOPE YOUTH KICKOFF:
It’s heartbreaking to see summer wind down, but you know what that means… HOPE YOUTH IS BACK! All 6th through 12th graders are invited to join us on Sundays beginning September 7th from 6-8pm for a brand new year full of adventure and the unexpected! Our kickoff night will be especially exciting with a massive outdoor game, plenty of prizes to win, and snow cones to close out the night! We’ll also be starting off the school year with a new series called Into the Unknown. Maybe you’ve just moved to a new town, are looking ahead to life after school, or are joining youth group for the first time! Or maybe you’re going through a tough transition in life and you just don’t know what the future holds. Whatever the case, growing up is about stepping out into the unknown. New relationships, responsibilities, and risks. Thankfully you don’t have to alone. In this series we’ll be exploring how we can step into the unknown with confidence, and how Jesus walks right beside us as we do. So whether it’s your first year at youth group or your last, we hope you’ll join us!
HOPE YOUTH ON WEDNESDAYS:
Family nights are returning and Hope Youth’s Bible Study is BACK! Join us on Wednesday nights from 6:15-8:00P starting September 3rd! We’ll have food for your body and your soul as we enjoy a meal together and dive into God’s Word as a Youth Group. Our teens will be exploring the narrative of Joseph in the Old Testament and seeing how his journey of slavery, imprisonment, and rejection is a reflection of Jesus Christ and how we can reflect Jesus in our own lives! You won’t want to miss one or morsel or one moment! See you then!
OCEAN CITY RETREAT:
Join us for one of the biggest events of the year as we spend the weekend at Ocean City for our Senior High retreat! If you or a friend are in 9th-12th grade, you’re invited to be a part of this fun and uplifting retreat being held from September 26-28th! Aside from plenty of games and fun on the boards we will be worshipping together, diving into God’s Word, and growing closer as a group. Fill out our OC Retreat Permission Slip and turn it in to Pastor Dan NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 12TH. The cost for the trip is $100 and can be paid via cash, a check made out to “Hope Christian Fellowship”, or through our Paypal link. If you have questions about payment or are in need of a retreat sponsorship, please contact Pastor Dan ASAP.
HOPE YOUTH CALENDAR:
Parents, stay up to date with everything happening on our calendar here!
JOIN OUR TEXT THREAD:
Stay in the loop for all of the most important notifications! Text “”hopeyouth” to (856) 420-6078 to start receiving updates this week!
For any questions about Hope Youth contact Pastor Dan at: danlein@hopechristianfellowship.org
HOPEKIDS!
SUNDAY MORNING PROGRAMS:
We offer childcare and classes from our littlest Hopers to our 5th graders every Sunday morning at both services. Each classroom is staffed with friendly, enthusiastic, background-checked team members to ensure your child’s safety. Our WonderZone! serves our youngest children from infants through Pre-K, who are full of wonder about who God is! K-5th graders gather in the GoZone! where we GO for God, GO for growth and GO forever.
WONDERZONE ON WEDNESDAYS:
Wednesday nights at Hope are BACK, and we are so excited to have our WonderZone programs up and running again, kicking off on September 3rd! We can’t wait to snuggle and care for your infants (0-18m) in our Nursery 1 class, while our Nursery 2 team builds connections with your toddlers (18m-2yr) through lots of playtime! As we jump back into our normal midweek programs, our Preschoolers (3-5yrs) will continue our “Growing with God” study, designed to help preschoolers learn about the reality of God’s love through play and apply it in their daily lives! You won’t want to miss out on this awesome opportunity to prioritize and pour into the foundation of faith for your little ones — we hope to see you there!
GOZONE ON WEDNESDAYS:
The GoZone team is excited and ready to launch into Wednesday nights with your 1st-5th graders! We’ll have a chance to review Sunday morning’s Bible lesson in a new way — new lesson videos, new games, and new small group activities will help to reinforce these important Bible truths! You don’t want your elementary kiddos to miss out on this opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Bible and fellowship with other HopeKids!
HOPEKIDS HANGOUT:
Our Sunday evening program for elementary aged children is taking a hiatus in for fall, with updates to come in January. However, our GoZone kiddos will still GO for God, GO for growth and GO forever during our Sunday morning and Wednesday evening programs made just for them! See you there!
Check out our social media (and more) here!
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org